What techniques can you use to ensure your vulnerability scanner does not disrupt critical network services?

1 Define your scope and objectives

Before you start scanning, you should have a clear idea of what you want to achieve and what you are authorized to scan. This will help you avoid scanning unnecessary or sensitive targets, such as production servers, network devices, or third-party systems. You should also define your scanning frequency, duration, and priority, and communicate them to your stakeholders and network administrators. This will help you align your scanning activities with your business needs and network availability.

2 Choose the right scanning mode and settings

Depending on your scanner and your target, you can choose different scanning modes and settings to optimize your results and reduce your impact. For example, you can use a non-intrusive or credentialed scan to avoid sending malicious or excessive traffic to your target, which could cause network congestion, service degradation, or denial of service. You can also customize your scan settings to limit the number of concurrent scans, the number of threads per scan, the scan speed, the timeout values, and the port range. These settings will help you control the bandwidth and resources used by your scanner and avoid overwhelming your target.

3 Test your scans in a safe environment

Before you launch your scans on your live network, you should test them in a safe environment, such as a lab, a sandbox, or a simulation. This will help you verify that your scans are working as expected, that they are not generating false positives or negatives, and that they are not causing any adverse effects on your target. You should also monitor your scan performance and results, and adjust your settings if needed. This will help you fine-tune your scans and ensure their accuracy and reliability.

4 Schedule your scans wisely

Another technique to ensure your vulnerability scanner does not disrupt critical network services is to schedule your scans wisely. You should avoid scanning during peak hours, maintenance windows, or backup periods, as these are times when your network is more vulnerable or busy. You should also consider the time zones, holidays, and business cycles of your target locations, and scan them accordingly. You should also coordinate your scans with your network administrators and other security teams, and notify them in advance of your scan plans. This will help you avoid conflicts and interruptions with other network activities and security operations.

5 Review and validate your scan results

Finally, you should review and validate your scan results before you act on them. You should check for any errors, anomalies, or inconsistencies in your scan reports, and verify that they are not caused by your scanner or your network. You should also confirm that your scan results are relevant and actionable, and that they match your scope and objectives. You should also prioritize your scan findings based on their severity, impact, and exploitability, and plan your remediation actions accordingly. This will help you avoid wasting time and resources on false or irrelevant scan results, and focus on the most critical vulnerabilities that pose a threat to your network security.